Ants....In Their Pants

Remember the knight costumes I made for camp last year?  Well its another week of Arts Camp and another themed costume day.  This week its "Under The Grass".  I kind of forgot about it until last night at 8pm and then frantically ran around getting things together.  I decided to ignore Mark's suggestion of dressing the boys in grey and calling them rocks and have instead opted for ants.  All I can say is, thank goodness Amber lives nearby, that Abby wears the same size as the boys, that she has two pairs of black leggings to spare AND that she has a good supply of pipe cleaners. 

Behold, the Mighty Ant! 
PS - the Mighty Ants look grumpy because its 7am, the grass is wet and I've made them walk across the yard for a photo shoot.  But they do love their last-minute costumes and are excited for the day ahead! 
PPS - having looked at the photos, I think I might remove one part of the rolled-up cardboard in the "legs" because the look too long and cumbersome.  And maybe it'll be easier to tie around their waists if they were shorter.  

Because Its Important To Remember

Fishies

I was a little bit worried about August.  In fact, I was edging towards anxious about the month as a whole.   After a magical four weeks at the cottage surrounded by family and friends, the thought of an entire month with three children needing constant entertainment was threatening to do me in.   What on earth was I going to do with them?

But two weeks in, the majority of my concerns are proving to be groundless.  We've had quite a lovely time actually.  The boys have been (mostly) pleasant and - dare I say it - well behaved!  We've had fun!  We've laughed!  We've eaten in restaurants because we unexpectedly had to take the car to Canadian Tire and get new brake pads and tires after hearing the car make frightening noises every time mummy touched the brakes and what else are you going to do with a four hour wait at a garage but go and find the nearest restaurant and use every ounce of willpower NOT to order yourself a cocktail...

Okay, so that particular day wasn't quite so much fun, but the rest of it really has been quite good.  We've had playdates with some of our favorite people, we've gone to great parks with wading pools, we've walked along the lake, grocery shopped (again, maybe not the best time ever with three kids, but it has to be done), bought big boy bikes from a great used bike & skate shop, and best of all, we've had swimming lessons every day with a wonderful instructor.

Angela has taught the boys so much in just eight half hour lessons.  Its been a joy to watch them and I feel like we're laying a really great foundation for years and years of swimming to come.  I love seeing the boys' confidence and swimming abilities growing on a daily basis.   Here are some videos of the boys practicing various skills at Wednesday's lesson:














Next week Owen and Will are going to be at their favorite camp in the mornings, so perhaps Elly will give me a two minute break to do some more blogging.  I'm telling you, its been incredibly hard to carve out any time for myself this month, but I am hopeful that there will come a time when I'll actually be able to write like I used to, as in more than once a month!  Thanks for sticking with me guys, even when its eons between posts!

Back Home

We're home, and happy to be back.  

But we do miss Gran & Grandpa an awful lot...

More to come once we get settled.

Owie & Elly

I just had to share this series of photos I took of Elly and Owen last week.  He was being such a grumpy little so-and-so in the morning, but when his little sister started to cry about goodness knows what, he came to the rescue, shared his yoghurt and made her giggle.  Love it and love them.

A Month Of Memories

I first came to the cottage when I was nine years old.  My friend Karen invited me up one weekend, and her brother Mark, being my big brother David's friend, invited him too.  We Pergant kids were quite taken with it all - lake swimming, dock tanning, chips & coke at five o'clock, steak dinners at the long table, playing ping pong and pool in the basement until bedtime.  It was a new world for us hotel brats, but one we quickly adapted to.

Our family moved to Europe four years later but we still managed to come back to Canada nearly every summer and relished our time at the Johnson's cottage.  I remember whole days spent in the water, telling secrets to Karen under the floating raft (not realising it amplified my words for the whole bay to hear), waking up to the smells of her mother Susan making bacon and eggs, hearing her father Bill working his way through the list of outdoor chores, reading Archie comics on the sofas downstairs.  Every year we came back, and every year it was the same wonderful place, with the pine trees swaying high above the cottage and the water glinting invitingly in the sunshine. 

When I was nineteen, I came back as Mark's girlfriend.

In July of 2004 we spent two weeks at the cottage with friends and family celebrating and relaxing after our Toronto wedding and my brother proposed to his beautiful Cecile on the dock.  I sat with my  friends Amber and Annie and we imagined coming here in future years with our children, pictured these fictitious youngsters playing on the beach and splashing in the water and smiled at what would be.

And now, my boys and my girl are here with me for a whole month and we are making memories, superimposing new stories onto those that already exist.  We are playing and splashing, waking up to the smells of Gran making bacon and eggs, hearing Grandpa working his way through the list of outdoor chores.  The pine trees are swaying in the warm summer breeze and the water glints invitingly as we make our way down to the beach. 

***

Amber & Jon and Amanda & Mark joined for the Canada Day long weekend, bringing those imaginary kids we once talked about with them.

 Owen & Caleb looking down at the lake

Abby happily eating away at her burgerless bun

Happy Caleb, such a flirt

Amber and Owie.  Hugs after dinner help with digestion, dontcha know

Early birds get the cereal (aka when will our kids learn how to sleep in?!)

Elly test drives the "motor" boat

Snack, the most important meal of the day

Getting in is the hard part

But once you're in, its lovely! By the way, I bought these noodle hammocks at the dollar store and they are unequivocably the best purchase of the year

Uncle Mark Wright reading a bedtime story to the masses

Elly and Peter hanging out before bed

view from the back deck

view from the lookout

Amanda and Peter chillaxing before dinner

Amber & Caleb

Jon cooking for 8 adults & 6 kids means a BBQ full to bursting

Somehow the cottage air means less fighting.  For now.

But lots of silliness

Grandpa made banana oreo ice cream and is now in the running for best grandparent ever

Blowing bubbles with Gran, a summertime staple

Elly and her Grandpa

Right where I want to be

Happy Father's Day